Notes:

Additional Cast:

Elizabeth Lail as Andrea McKay

Valorie Curry as Anna Matthews

Grey Damon as Ashton Sanders

Keiynan Lonsdale as Vincent Brown

Vanessa's POV

Today is Friday which means it's the end of my week's classes which means I don't have to be at campus for the next two days which means I was lucky enough not to cross paths with Nathan. I let myself take a big breath as a reward. I made it. I was afraid he would be popping up everywhere I go really and that it would be extremely difficult to avoid him. I totally freaked out when I saw him and Joseph entering the coffee shop on Tuesday. I was astonished by how fast I ran to the toilet. I had no idea I could do that considering I rarely run or exercise. Okay, not rarely. I never run or exercise in general. It worked though. Nathan didn't see me and all I had to do was stay put until Alice confirmed to me that it was safe out there and I could get out of my hiding spot. See? It wasn't that difficult, Vanessa! We don't share any common classes anymore, we are interested in different things and our common friends have things to do on their own, so a group meeting is not in our top priorities right now. Thank God! I could say that I have to study or that I am busy with the paper but I hate lying. And I am actually a pretty bad liar. I'd rather not lie and postpone the meeting instead.

"Hey girl! I am so sorry for being late!" Andrea approaches me with a big smile. She is wearing a yellow sleeveless dress with an A line skirt and her hair is in a tight braid. Andrea is always cute and in style.

"It's okay." I smile back at her and go for a hug.

"It's just um, I got confused! I didn't remember if we had arranged to meet here or by the fountain at the west side of the campus. I mean here is closer to the paper but Vincent and I meet there all the time since it is near the building where the majority of his classes take place. Aaaaah Vanessa!" She sighs and rests her head on my shoulder. "I don't know what I am going to do with him! He has driven me crazy. You see? I went to the other side of the campus just because my mind was searching for him and without realizing it, I found myself over there, but you on the other hand were nowhere to be found!"

"Don't worry about it, Andrea! I didn't wait for long." I reassure her with a grin. Well, it's been more than half an hour but it could have been worse. I was waiting for Andrea, seeing the crowd passing by for a while but I don't want to make her feel guilty. She already apologized. Plus, it wasn't that bad. It is a good warm sunny day and I put on my headphones, so music made time pass pleasantly.

"You're such a sweetheart!" She pecks my cheek. "Like seriously, you are the sweetest of them all! I am really sorry, I can't explain what Vincent has done to me. Honestly! And we have been dating for almost four months. You could think that I would have gotten used to it by now. Anyway, I got coffee as you see, do you want to stop by to get one for you as well?" She asks before she takes a sip from the cup she is holding.

"No, I am okay! Thank you." Me and coffee still don't get along that well.

"Okay, I also got some cookies from Chloe. God, that girl is a genius! She makes the best cookies! And have you tried her chocolate pie? Vincent brings me some everytime he comes to my place. I am going to get so fat. To be honest I adore it and of course I adore him too, but I do confess I give it to my neighbour. He has two little girls who happen to adore chocolate pie as well." Andrea giggles. "If only Vincent knew! I mean, I love him for always coming with full hands, it is a really nice gesture but I got to take care of my body! I hate diets. You've seen how difficult it is for Anna to be loyal to her meals' schedule. She always eats salads and fruits." I nod as Andrea continues. "I can tell it was worth it obviously, she has lost some pounds for sure and she looks amazing. Vincent has noticed it too. But you know what? Anna has the self control needed to follow a diet."

Oh my God. At this moment I see Nathan getting out of the building that is right behind us. Oh my God, is this the sports faculty? How didn't I notice? He is walking confident and carefree as always , along with a friend of his who I think is also one of his teammates. Next to his teammate-friend is a girl with long brown hair in red leggings and a black t-shirt. Seems to me she is more interested in Nathan than his teammate-friend since she is completely ignoring whatever the teammate-friend is saying and keeps on staring at Nathan. Why am I watching them and most importantly, why am I still here? That would be because Andrea is in the middle of one of her speeches and we haven't moved a bit. Someone could say that sometimes she is babbling more than me, which is a strange thing, given the fact that I am the queen of babbling.

"... and then I told him he could come over to visit me at my parents house but he totally freaked out. I don't get it! If he had really missed me, he would have come, wouldn't he? In the end, I was the one who truly missed my boyfriend and the fact that I came back at campus five days before the school started proves it big time!" Andrea states irritated. I need to take us both out of here.

"Andrea, I-"

"You think I am right, I know. Thank you Vanessa." She chimes in before letting me finish my sentence. "I so needed someone on my side, my roommate thinks I am exaggerating!"

Okay, what are my options now? Andrea is at my height and slimmer than me so she can't hide me. Maybe Nathan won't notice me? I am not the centre of attention after all. God, he is so handsome today. I mean he always is but I guess I have slightly forgotten about it. I haven't seen him in almost two weeks. It has been eleven days actually and to be more exact three days ago I got a glimpse of him when he stepped into the coffee shop with Joseph, but that was all I got before I disappeared into the bathroom. He was wearing a grey t-shirt on Tuesday, now he is wearing a green one along with black sweat pants. I love it when he wears green. It points out the green shades in his eyes. Probably he had a practical class. The brunette is also wearing leggings so I guess that could be the case. On the other hand though, girls at the sports faculty wear leggings all the time. Why wouldn't they? They have the perfect body to pull them off.

"... I talked to Vincent about it and he was kind of irritated afterwards. He didn't say a thing though. I didn't push it further either. He was mad at me clearly and I didn't want to start a fight." I try to focus on whatever Andrea is telling me now.

We can't leave now, Nathan will definitely see us. Let's hope the brunette distracts him enough. Or not. I don't know. I don't want him to get distracted by that girl but at the same time I don't want him to see me either.

"The thing is evey time we have a problem, we don't talk about it. I start the conversation with the intention to solve it but Vincent is never in the mood of talking. Like ever!" I nod at Andrea but out of the corner of my eye I see Nathan spotting us.

No, no, no. I tuck my hair behind my ear keeping my hand up at my forehead in an attempt to hide my face. Maybe he won't come near us.

"The point is that it ends in one way every time." Andrea waves her hand in the air in despair. "With us having sex all over the house. Multiple times. Like again and again. And we don't talk! We never talk! We just have-"

"Hello Vanessa." He did come near us after all. Nathan looks at me with his famous smirk taking over his face as usual. God, he is so much prettier from a close distance.

"Um, hi! Nathan! I didn't see you!" I force a fake smile trying to play it cool. Then I lower my hand since it didn't help at all at hiding me and it must make me look like a fool. That was such a lame attempt to hide, I admit it.

"Really?" He says in a sarcastic tone and raises his eyebrows at me. This isn't going well.

"Yeah!" I shrug laughing awkwardly. I hope I didn't look awkward. "This is Andrea! Andrea, this is Nathan!" Smart move, I don't think these two know each other. Andrea waves cheerfully at Nathan while he has his eyes on me. "Andrea and I work at the paper together. We both write for the social column and in fact we have this thing we have to cover during the weekend and we haven't prepared, you know, for the whole process and this is why we actually met, to go to the paper together and discuss about it. Woah, look at the time!" I take Andrea by the hand and start walking backwards after checking at my phone. "It passes so fast! It was nice talking to you, Nathan, but we have to go. Have a nice day!" I turn my back at him and start walking faster, always dragging Andrea along with me.

"Yeah. See ya around, special friend." I hear Nathan's voice in the background. Did he just call me special friend? Like seriously?

"Hey, hey! Can we take a breath?" Andrea stops walking after a while and rests her hands on her knees.

"Um..." I stop as well and look back. We are in what can be considered as a safety distance. "Yes, we can do that." I haven't realized I am sweating. This was too much for me too.

"Why did we run off like that?" Andrea asks me puzzled.

"We didn't run off!" I exclaim and then place my hand on my chest. My heart is beating really fast but it seems to be still at its place. That's a relief. "I mean, we do have to go to the paper and we have already been late so I didn't think it was wise to dawdle while the others are already there." This sounds like a logical excuse.

"Vanessa, Ashton is cool with that. He is not obsessed with time. Especially since he is kinda obsessed with you, we wouldn't have any problem." Andrea comments casually and unties her braid which has been messed up by all this walking or running to be exact.

"What..." I look at her frowning. "He is not." I chuckle awkwardly. For once again, I hope I didn't look awkward.

"Vanessa helloooo! I happen to be there all the time!" She lifts her eyebrows at me. "Anna and Vincent don't tease you over this for nothing. And now fix your hair." Mine is down and straight but it seems like it has been messed up too, due to me pretending to be the Flash to get away from Nathan. "High waisted jeans is your thing. They point out your slim waist and your cute little butt! And let me tell you something girl, Ashton has been staring at it quite a lot!" She winks at me mischievously.

"Andrea!" I shout at her nervously.

"And I like your light blue shirt as well. Ashton will like it too. Now let's go!" She is the one dragging me now as we step into the paper's office which is just some steps away.

"Hello Andrea and hello to you too, little cupid." Anna greets us from the front office as usual.

"Again with the little cupid?" I give her an eyeroll.

"It never gets old." Anna so enjoys teasing me. "Have you guys got anything planned for today?"

"Well, we have to attend this book convention on Sunday and we have to do some little research on that." I answer to her.

"Yes, I hope it won't take us forever. I really need to see Vincent afterwards. Like in private." Andrea whispers to us both.

"Oh the teens and their uncontrollable hormones!" Anna says shaking her head. "You can wait a little longer. I was thinking about going to the cinema. There is this french movie I've been dying to see and I believe it will be educative and helpful to such a dickhead as Vincent, so I already told him about it and he is in. So that means you're in too, Andrea."

"French? I never watch anything with subtitles." Andrea remarks and narrows her eyebrows.

"This is going to be your first time then. It will be good for you as well. Cupid, are you in?" Anna asks me while typing on her computer.

"I don't think so, guys. I had a long day already and when Andrea and I will be done, I predict the one thing I will want to do is lay on my bed and sleep." Also analyze the unexpected meeting with Nathan and organize my strategy from now on.

"That's too bad. I already told Ashton and he is coming too." Anna blinks her eyelashes at me. "You have to tell him you're not coming yourself. Although I have a feeling he is gonna make you change your mind." She winks at me. What is with all these people and their obsession with me and Ashton. "Hey boss! Come here for a sec!" Anna raises her hand up not, wasting the chance.

Ashton is at Ian's desk by the window. He shakes his head smiling while he still listens to whatever Ian has to say to him. He is wearing a white t-shirt and black jeans. I wonder if people talk to Ashton about me as much as they talk to me about him.

"Hello Vanessa. Andrea." Ashton greets us as he comes over. "What's up, Anna?"

"Cupid isn't joining us to the movies." Anna says pouting. She is such a sucker for drama. "You are on a mission to persuade her to come."

"I am going over my desk to get started." Andrea announces chortling.

"I'll join you in a bit!" I tell her before she leaves.

"Why does Anna believe I have an impact on you? From what I know, it's the other way around." Ashton remarks in a lower tone. Anna seems to be busy with her keyboard but it is pretty clear she is eavesdropping.

"Well, if I was you, I wouldn't be so sure." I sigh and his eyes immediately lit up.

"I should give it a try then. Would you come with us to the movies? I am positive Anna has chosen something impossible to comprehend so your presence will save me from boredom." He beams at me. "Besides, the whole gang is going to be there. It won't be the same without you."

"Okay then, I'll come along." I eyeroll giggling. "But I can't promise I won't fall asleep during the movie."

"I won't have a problem with that. You're cute when you're asleep." He says playfully and pats my nose reminding me that I had indeed fallen asleep in his car when he drove me home from the basketball captain's party last month.

"Hey!" I hit him slightly on the arm laughing. "I am going to see you later." I point at Andrea's direction. We should finally get started.

"Later." He whispers into my ear and then goes to his office down the hallway.

Ashton always manages to lighten up my mood. When I sit next to Andrea, she raises her eyebrows giving me a meaningful look but she doesn't say anything. I bet that if I had to work with Anna for the next couple hours, she would tease me nonstop. Andrea is way more discreet. I appreciate it. When we finish with every detail of our task, we join Anna and Vincent at the front desk.

"Hi baby!" Andrea rushes to Vincent and gives him a kiss on the lips. A really passionate kiss on the lips.

"Ew! Can't you two wait till we are in the dark in the movie theatre to devour each other?" Anna pretends to be annoyed and looks away.

"You can't blame my girl. I am quite the kisser you know." Vincent brags and hugs Andrea from behind.

"Yes, you are." Andrea gives him another kiss on the cheek.

"I think I'm gonna vomit in my mouth. Ashton!" Anna shouts. "Are you done yet?"

"Gimme ten minutes!" He shouts back at her from his office.

"Seems like we have ten more minutes, babe." Vincent turns Andrea around. "But we have to keep it PG." He remarks mischievously looking at Anna.

"I am going to vomit again." Anna pulls out her tongue and makes a disgusted grimace.

Vincent and Andrea continue on taking advantage of the lost time I guess, while Anna keeps herself busy with tidying her desk, which is something she rarely does. I stand awkwardly at the side until Ashton gets out of his office.

"Everybody ready?" He asks and places his hand on my back.

"It took you ages which is why I am coming with you guys." Anna says pointing at our direction. "Nobody can guarantee to me that the official lovebirds are gonna keep their hands to themselves during the drive to the mall and I am too young and beautiful to die in a car accident."

"If you're jealous, it's okay. You won't be the first one." Vincent lifts his eyebrows at Anna.

"Yeap, what we have is special!" Andrea states with pride. "I am sure that there's someone out there for you too, Anna!"

"Can we get out of here before I vomit for the third time today?" Anna says annoyed. "Of course I am not jealous, I am just concerned about my eyesight. And not to ruin your fairytale, Andrea, but I see nothing special in a boyfriend like this."

"You know what?" Ashton raises his finger at Vincent who is about to speak. "You could go on with it as usual and we could sit back and watch. I believe it would be more entertaining than the movie itself but just in case you prefer going to the cinema, I suggest we leave now if we wanna be on time."

"I couldn't have said it better." I give Ashton an approving look and he pulls me closer to him grinning.

"You are right, loverboy. I am not gonna waste my time on a person with the IQ of a grapefruit." Anna nods in agreement.

"I am right here and unlike a grapefruit, I have ears and I can hear you." Vincent fires back at her.

"Yeah, we all can see your Dumbo ears. They are hard to miss." Anna smiles satisfied with her quip.

"I am going to the car." Andrea takes the keys out of Vincent's pocket in an attempt to put an end in this.

"So are we." Ashton states and we both start walking towards the door with his one hand wrapped around my waist and the other one brushing gently my arm.

We all get outside and get in Ashton and Vincent's cars. I sit on the front after Ashton's request while Anna joins us like she said, complaining about Vincent during the whole drive to the mall. I didn't stop laughing though. Ashton was discreetly teasing her all the time and Anna was so focused on analyzing all of Vincent's flaws that she kind of woke up to it just moments before we reached the mall's parking spot. Ashton had to deal with the consequences, meaning Anna punching his arm and patting his head till the movie started. We made Vincent and Anna sit at opposite ends with Andrea, me and Ashton in between.

The movie is quite boring as Ashton had predicted, so I am able to zoom out and think about my situation with Nathan. Did I seem to act cool enough earlier? Like I had everything under control? I doubt it. I was at least speaking and not just standing there like I had lost my voice or something. This is a plus. The fact that I was talking nonstop without letting Nathan room to talk as well is a con. The fact that I looked into his beautiful brown eyes noticing every single green shade of theirs without blinking is a huge plus. The fact that I lost myself in them for a brief of a moment is a con. Did he notice? If he did, that would be another con. I did introduce him to Andrea but I gave them no time to complete the introductions. Obviously another con. I kinda lost counting but I am sure cons are more. This makes my first real interaction with Nathan after the spring break incident a total failure. I didn't try my best. I had practiced my speech more than a dozen times in front of the mirror. I could have pulled it off successfully. I guess I could theoretically, but technically that was impossible. I didn't consider about the element of surprise. How could I know that I was going to see him? Or that he was going to see me too? He came into my way today exactly like he came into my life; unannounced and unexpected, making me question everything I thought I knew before.

"I'm not the only one struggling to watch this movie, right?" Ashton asks me in a low tone taking me out of my thoughts.

"Um, I guess you're not." I admit and sit up in my seat.

"We're not letting Anna decide next time." He raises an eyebrow at me and I give him a half smile. "Is everything okay?" He asks me frowning. "You seem a little puzzled. Now it could definitely be the movie", I giggle silently not wanting to disturb the other viewers, "but if it is something else", he takes my face into his hands and looks right into my eyes with his magnetic green ones, "and I can be any help, you can count on me. I want to help you if you need my help. Well, even if you don't really." He remarks and a brief laugh escapes from his lips. "I want you to want my help. To talk to me about anything. I want to be there for you and erase every single thing that bothers you. So if that's the case, please let me do that. All of that." He caresses my cheeks gently and I can't help but beam at him. "If it's not, then I went too deep for no apparent reason but at least I let it out of my chest. Sort of." He lifts his eyebrows playfully at me.

"I am fine, Ashton. Just a little tired." I reassure him with a smile.

"You sure?" He asks seriously.

"Yeah, I am sure. I told you I won't be a good company today." I raise an eyebrow at him.

He leans closer, his hands still covering my cheeks. He is too close now. Shane Moore was this close in 10th grade when he stole my first kiss in the movie theatre. Are we recreating that moment now? Oh my God, is Ashton going to kiss me? Before I panic over too much, Ashton leaves a small kiss on my nose.

"You are never a bad company." He tells me smirking.

"Will you two stop flirting? We are trying to watch the movie." Anna comments in her unique way. Ashton eyerolls chuckling and pulls away.

"When you say we, you mean you and the fifteen people that are in this room. Leave us four out 'cause we are clearly not interested at all in this kind of garbage." Vincent tells Anna with sarcasm.

"And that's the reason why you are always going to be a neaterdall." Anna says and raises her middle finger at him. "Now shut up, it is about to end!"

Vincent doesn't speak again until the movie is over. Anna proposes to go grab a bite to discuss the movie but we all politely decline since none of us had actually watched it. We greet Andrea and Vincent good night and Ashton drives Anna and me back to the dorms. The fact that neither me or Ashton have anything to say about the movie doesn't upset Anna quite a bit since she is the one talking once again during the drive. Ashton keeps on agreeing with her while making grimaces every now and then and I barely hold my laugh for his own sake. Anna would go brutal on him again in a heartbeat. She is really passionate about the things she likes. Thank God she is sitting on the back.

We thank Ashton for the ride as always and get out of the car. I think he might have wanted to kiss me good night maybe. He had pulled off his seatbelt and turned his whole body towards me but it seemed like was hesitating. I mean he seemed like he was thinking about something. He reminded me of myself when I try to decide whether to buy plain chocolate cookies from Chloe or the ones with caramel on top. I usually go with the second choice since I am a huge caramel lover as everybody knows. Anyway, this might be totally irrelevant but it's what I thought when I saw Ashton like that. It is a good thing he didn't kiss me because Anna would definitely have a comment on that as well and I would blush no doubt. Not because of Ashton of course. He makes me blush occasionally but he never makes me feel uncomfortable. I think he knew Anna on the other hand would tease me, so that's the reason why he decided not to go for it probably. Ashton always gets me and does everything in his power not to upset me. He is really nice. He also gives me his full attention and knows somehow when something is wrong. I don't know how he does it. He always has something nice to say to me and whatever bothers me goes away. The Nathan thing is an exception obviously but at least it goes at the back of my mind for a while. Ashton's little speech at the movies about wanting to be there for me was really thoughtful. And sweet. And caring. And then I thought he was going to kiss me. Like for real. He wasn't going to do that. Or was he? At this moment, I let the idea cross my mind for the first time. Does Ashton like me? Like like me-like me?

"Cupid, you're coming or what?" Anna shouts at me while holding the entrance door of the dorms' building open. Apparently, I haven't moved a step since Ashton drove off.

"Yeah." I murmur and get inside. I hope Alice is available for a heart to heart conversation because I really need a hand to clear up my head.

And thankfully I find her in our dorm room the moment I enter it. Such a good and lucky timing, considering Alice has been MIA since last night.

"Alice!" I scream her name making her pop up in her bed. She hasn't realized my presence. "Where have you been? You won't believe what has happened! My life is getting more complicated second by second! You just won't..." For some reason, she seems like she hasn't heard a single word from what I've said. She has this strange expression... I've never seen her like this. It is not bad. On the contrary, she seems so calm but energetic at the same time, her face is glowing and the brightest of her smiles is printed on it. She seems fine, actually more than fine but really distracted. Like her mind is elsewhere. Definitely elsewhere. "Um...Alice..." I attempt to engage conversation once again and approach her bed, "hello, it's me. Your roommate. Vanessa." I wave my hand slowly in front of her head to catch her attention.

"Ness heyyyy!" she comes and circles her hands around me, in a really tight hug. Her wide smile never leaves her face. "How are you?" she literally sings the words. "You look so beautiful in these clothes and your hair is wonderful." She traces a few curls with her fingers.

"Thanks?" I have worn these clothes again. I don't think there is something special about a pair of jeans and a plain blue t-shirt but okay...

"How can I be so lucky to have the best roomie on campus? Not campus... The world!" she exclaims, giving me another hug.

"Wow! So many compliments coming my way. Thanks again! Is there a reason for your extra cheery mood today? I guess you had a good time at your date with Joseph." Alice and Joseph had their proper first date yesterday. She spent a fair amount of time to get ready for it.

"Not just good. It was great, amazing, AWESOME!" she high pitches completely excited. "Vanessa, me and Joseph made love for the first time and there are no words to describe it." She clearly can't hide her enthusiasm. "You have become a really good friend to me and I wanted to share this with you! I feel so happy! Nothing can ruin my mood!"

"Wow! You did? You and Joseph did? I mean you really look happy! Wow!" This explains a lot. "I am so glad that- I mean not that it finally happened, not that it is a bad thing of course-I mean I don't want to focus on what happened which was huge but um, to the fact that you really look the happiest I've ever seen you!" My inexperience makes me sound weird. "In case I haven't made myself clear already, I feel you as one of my closest friends too, Alice! Especially lately, with all the revelations, bad or good, I think we've done some extra bonding and I have been reminded as well how lucky I am to have you as a friend, as a roommate and that I've met you in general. I am also glad to see you like this, Joseph makes you so happy! This screams from miles!"

"I don't believe it either! He's perfect, but don't tell him I told you this." she points a finger at me, giggling.

"Your secret is safe with me." I whisper giggling too. "So... let's start from the beginning of the night. Or should I say the perfect night? Where did he take you for dinner?"

"He took me to an italian restaurant with a great view. Everything was perfect. We ate and talked and joked. I know we are dating, but despite that we're still us. We still tease each other and throw quips, but suddenly he throws something quite unexpected and I just stay speechless looking at him... Completely mesmerized."

"Oh my God, you are so on cloud nine!" I take her in my embrace quite abruptly, driven by my excitement, and as a result we land with our backs on her bed. "That sounds perfect indeed, Alice. You totally deserve this." I tell her with a sincere smile. Joseph and Alice are the perfect combination. Who would have thought that. "And then?"

"Then we ended up at his apartment. I have to tell you one thing. We were so holding back before... I don't know how we managed that long without sex, but now we can't get enough of it. He didn't let me sleep the whole night. It was magical! And the sex was so great!" Alice's happy feelings are all over the place. This is true happiness, there's no doubt about it.

"Oh..." It's the only thing that comes out of my mouth after what I've heard.

"And when we finally fell asleep, he was holding me in his arms the whole night. When I woke up next morning, I thought I was dreaming and that I was back in the dorms, but then I saw his beautiful crystal eyes looking at me. Can you imagine a better view, when you wake up? And before I realize it, we were onto each other again. Vanessa, I am such a trash for him! I can't believe I am behaving like that!"

I look at her smiling once again. What can I say after that again? I remain silent thinking about how wonderful it sounds to have a person to share all these with. To make you feel that way. To drive you crazy. To turn your craziest of dreams into reality.

"Then he made breakfast for me. He's so sweet, when he wants to, but I like that I am the only one he shares this with. Oh God! He has made me so greedy!" she laughs with herself. "Then we spent the rest of the day on the bed...and on the couch... and on the kitchen's counter." she bites her lip while bringing back in her mind the memories.

"Okay, okay, I think I got it! Sophie must have stayed at Robin's!" I remark giggling. "Seriously Alice, I am so pleased to hear all these! Not in full detail of course!" We both begin to laugh again. Yeah, I couldn't handle the details. "You should enjoy every moment of it!"

"Actually I am in the middle of it. I just came to change clothes and pack a few, because I am going back to continue from where we left it. We have a whole weekend ahead of us." she laughs again. Actually she can't stop laughing or giggling or smiling.

"Good! I wish you to have the best weekend ever!" My friend is on cloud nine, I shouldn't bother her with my meaningless dilemmas. "If you come by on Monday, if you can leave Joseph's side and if he can let you leave his side, I'll fill you up with my latest." I state with a simper, trying to maintain the good vibes, and stand up from her bed. "Do you need any help with packing? I can go get your stuff from the bathroom."

"There is no way to wait until Monday. You tell me now your latest." she commands playfully and always beaming. "Joseph won't die if he waits one more hour. Actually it will make him crave for more, which is even better." she grins mischievously. "Spill the beans, Vanessa Adams."

"I saw Nathan." I reveal after taking a deep breath. "I tried to avoid him but it didn't work out this time."

"Did he do anything to you?" She looks concerned and ready to storm out to the frat house.

"No, I kept our conversation as short as possible." I reassure her with a shake of my head. "I was with Andrea and I used our paper duty as an excuse to leave right away. Actually run away. We said hello, I introduced him to Andrea and then we ran off. He just... I don't know how to do this, Alice. I haven't seen him since what happened and all I could think when I laid my eyes on him this morning was a) how I'd wish to have an invisibility coat and b) how incredibly handsome he is." I reveal my true thoughts with no shame. Alice has shown me that I can do that with her. "I am doomed!"

"I am sure you were great and you did really good for a first time. But don't let him intimidate you! Don't let his looks fool you!" Alice warns me and rubs my arm.

"Thanks. I don't believe I did my best but I will. Next time. I hope it's not soon. I have practised over and over again all the things I wanted to say to him and when I saw him, my brain stopped functioning." I rub my forehead sighing and make a brief pause. "There is something else I wanted to talk to you about actually."

"Hit me with anything! I am ready!"

"Okay..." I tuck a curl behind my ear and take a seat on my bed across hers. "Do you think... I mean has it ever crossed your mind as someone from the outside, like objectively speaking... have you ever observed or had any indication or I don't know, maybe you have seen something that led you to this one specific conclusion..." Alice looks at me puzzled, ok maybe I am babbling, saying too much already, "do you think that there is a chance that Ashton likes me? Like having a not just friendly interest in me."

"Is that really a question?" Alice raises an eyebrow.

"Um, yeah, I know I sound weird but... you think I sound weird, right?" I ask her frowning.

"It's not that you sound weird, it's that you haven't understood the obvious and what the rest of us have. Of course you would be the last to know. You're our sweet, naive Vanessa after all."

"So you think he likes me? Has it been that obvious?" She doesn't sound surprised about it. "I know we've talked about Ashton before and it is true that you and Emma and Anna, and Andrea actually, you all have been teasing me about him but I thought it was only teasing."

"There is always a hint of truth underneath the teasing. So did he make a move and you finally got it?" she asks without hiding her curiosity and her excitement.

"Not exactly. Ashton has always been sweet and nice to me, you've seen it yourself too. Today I just..." I stop mid sentence examining the facts, "we all went to the movies after we were done with our responsibilities at the paper's office. Vincent, Andrea, Anna, Ashton and I. With everything that has happened with Nathan lately and especially after I met him this morning, I was certainly in despair. I was mad at myself for not reacting the way I wanted to, for letting him have this effect on me. I was lost in my thoughts and Ashton noticed it and he just...." I stop again reliving the moment. Have I been that clueless all along? "He always notices when something is off with me. And he always makes me feel better somehow. He cupped my cheeks with his both hands and brought me closer to him, while not leaving my eyes at all. Not even for a second. And he said all these amazing things to me, like that I could count on him and that he wants me to do that. He was really sweet. All the things he said made me feel lighter right away. And then he just... I don't know if he would to be honest. How could I ever know that?" I shrug chortling briefly and then continue, "he was just too close. I thought he would kiss me. It reminded me of my first kiss because it was on a movie's theater. I was ready to panic as predictably but he just landed a cute kiss on my nose."

"Was your first kiss that bad? I bet if you had let Ashton kiss you, he would have taken all these bad memories away." Alice jokes to lift my burden somehow.

"Well, yeah my first kiss is not my favorite memory." I chortle eyerolling. "Today with Ashton... I didn't know I was that clueless. Was I? He had told me that he was in love with someone during the Christmas party and taken that as a fact, I never thought he could be interested in me in that way."

"Why not? I am not telling you this because we're friends, but you're a hottie. A shy one, but still a hottie. Plus you are an amazing and giving person. It's not strange for Ashton to have fallen for you. And honestly I like Ashton. He just emits those good vibes when you're around him. And also he's so kind, smiley and a gentleman. Not to mention smart and super hot. You've hit a jackpot there!"

"I know, he is just one of the most remarkable people I've ever met." I admit chuckling. "I just haven't thought of this possibility until today and I just wanted to talk to you about it. You always help me see things clearer."

"Always at your service!" she does a military salute, beaming. "What about you though? Do you like Ashton?"

"I... To be honest, there is so much going on right now, that my head is a mess. I think I can neither deal with this at this moment nor think about it clearly." I admit sighing. This is the truth really. Nathan has been monopolizing my mind for so long and I still haven't faced him after everything that has happened. Things are complicated enough, I can't make them worse.

"Take your time and you will figure this through. I am always here for you." Alice smiles brightly.

"Thanks. It goes the same way for you." I say returning back the smile. "So let's start packing! Joseph has waited long enough!"

We both stand up right away laughing and 30 minutes later I hug my friend goodbye wishing her to have the weekend of her dreams.

A/N: We hoped you enjoyed this chapter and Vanessa's struggles! Comment, vote and tell us whose team you support; Nathan's or Ashton's. In addition, just want to remind you we also have an Instagram What Life Holds page, where we upload our chapter aesthetics and so much more! Character aesthetics, couple edits, videos and lots of other fun stuff! You can find us with the same username: lifecreatorsx3